Collapsible crate.



PATENTED AUG. 6, 1907.

- H.G. IVEY.

OOLLAPSIBLE CRATE.

APPLICATION IILED FEB. 7, 1906.

V E N T OR -W[TNE55ES:

By 6 2 z F A TTORNE 1 5.

HENRY CURTIS IVEY, OF CALVERT, TEXAS.

COLLAPSIB LE CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1907.

Application filed February '7, 1906. Serial No. 299,952.

To all whom it ma y concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY Gnarls IvnY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Calvert, in the county of Robertson and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Collapsible Crate, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to collapsible crates.

The object of the invention is to simplify the construction and thus reduce the cost of production of such articles, and further to construct the crate in such manner as to facilitate handling when collapsed for the purpose of reshipment.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction and combination of parts of acollapsible crate, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the crate set up. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view. Fig. 3 is an end view of the crate knocked down.

The crate comprises a bottom 1, side walls 2 and 3, end walls 4 and 5, and a two-part top designated generally 6. The bottom of the crate comprises a rectangular frame 7 to which are secured strips of wood 8, for forming the flooring and which may be closely assembled as shown or slightly spaced apart. The side and end walls and top of the crate comprise rectangular frames with which is combined in any suitable manner wire netting 9 of any preferred mesh. The end walls 4 are connected by hinges 10 with the flooring, and fold inward thereon, while the side Walls are connected by hinges 11 with spacing strips 12 that are secured to the floor, the side walls being adapted to be folded over upon the end walls. The spacers 12, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, are spaced apart to define hand holes 13 into which the fingers of the handler may be inserted when the crates are collapsed and are to be superposed one upon the other. The provision of these hand-holds materially aids in handling the crates, and will remove the strain from the side Walls, as all the strain will be transmitted to the bottom of the crate, it being generally the practice to stack the crates with the bottom side up in .order to allow them to clear themselves of any contained foreign matter. The top, is made of two sections 14 and 15 which are connected by hinges 16 with the upper edges of the side walls as shown in Fig. 1. The top section 15 has combined with it a door 17 connected by a hinge 18 with one of its frame pieces, a hook 19 carried by the door and engaging a staple 20 on the adjacent frame member of the section 15 serving to hold the door closed.

In order to hold the members of the crate in the position shown, in Fig.1,each end of each of the top sections is provided with a staple 21 which are engaged by the eyes of hooks 22 that are adapted to engage staples 23 carried by the upper frame members of the end Walls. When the hooks are in engagement with the staples 23 as clearly shown in Fig. 1 all the parts of the crate will be held properly set up and the end walls prevented from falling inwardly.

In order to hold the parts of the crate in the collapsed position shown in Fig. 3, under which conditions the top sections 14 and 15 fold outward and over upon the side Walls 2 and 3, the floor frame carries at each end two staples 24 whichare adaptedto be engaged by the hooks 22, and thus secure the objects sought. It will be seen by the arrangement of staples employed, that one pair of hooks at each end of the crate will be thoroughly effective for holding the crate either set up or collapsed.

The improvements herein defined while simple in character will be found thoroughly efficient for the purpose designed and will combine in, the production of a thoroughly effective article.

I claim 1. A knock-down crate embodying a bottom section, oppositely arranged side and end sections mounted thereon in pairs and adapted to fold inwardly in intersecting vertieal planes, :1 pair of top sections having their outer edges hinged to the upper edges of the side sections of one pair, a pair of hooks pivotally attached to each top sec tion, a pair of staples arranged on the outer free edge of the adjacent end sections and so located as-to receive the respective hooks of the top sections to prevent inward movement of the side sections, and a pair of staples arranged on the adjacent edge of the bottom section and so located as to receive the respective hooks of the top sections when the crate is in knocked down position.

2. A knockdown crate embodying a bottom section, a pair of end walls pivotally attached to the bottom section and adapted to fold inwardly and lie fiatwise thereon, a pair of side sections pivotally attached to the bottom section in a plane above the pivots for the end sections, the latter being arranged to rest between the side sections when the latter are open, the top sections pivotally attached to the upper edges of the side sections, a pair of hooks pivotally attached to the ends of the top sections, a pair of staples on the free edge of each end section arranged to cooperate with the respective hooks on the top sections and prevent inward movement of the end sections, and a second pair of staples on the corresponding edges of 'the bottom sections adapted to cooperate with the said hooks to retain the parts in knocked down position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY CURTIS IVEY.

Witnesses S. M. GIBSON, .T. AnoNn. 

